How many boars is too many?

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lauraboara

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Don't panic, i am not keep a flock of boars running loose in my lounge. Just wanted ideas on boar numbers - in pairs!

I have 3 pairs of boars at present - 2 calm adults and 4 less calm teenagers.
I am very tempted to adopt another pair but is it madness? Obviously some forum people have large piggy numbers but generally they seem to have a herd of females with a neutered male.

Pro - there are loads of boars that need adopting, I can make the space, we are in a position to cope financially at present, I am getting quite addicted, they would have lovely runs in the garden etc, it is not difficult to scale up farm hay, veggies (planning to grow some of my own)

Cons - I would have 8 boars! The husband would go mad, I have 4 teenagers who could fall out, vets bills could escalate in a few years when the boys get older, I am still learning a great deal. Too many boys?:{ What do you think?
 
I'm not sure about you but I can just cope with two pairs. Having the babies around has turned Nutty into a hormonal nightmare! I think you can have as many as you like as long as you have the space and time for them.


Amy
x
 
Just out of interest, would you get a boar and sow pair ?
or a sow pair ?

I'd say if you think you can financially handle it, why not, if you have the space and the time then adopting a guinea pig, or two is great as your giving them another chance at life :)
 
Just out of interest, would you get a boar and sow pair ?
or a sow pair ?

I'd say if you think you can financially handle it, why not, if you have the space and the time then adopting a guinea pig, or two is great as your giving them another chance at life :)
 
I would stick to boars i think - I don't want any female hormones to throw into the mix! And I know they can be monkeys but they are lovely too

I think the issue of time is important so I will give that a bit of thought - you have to factor in a rota of run time and cuddles and grooming etc
 
we have five boars- two pairs and a single, we have had them fall out even though they seemed well bonded, so we have had to do re- bonding with each other (swapping around )lots of watching for fighting, so although males may seem fine, and mostly are, be aware that they can fall out, and have spare cages at the ready! you sound sensible, and have realised (even with the children lol !) that problems can arise, so i say go for it ! x
 
you can never have enough boars!
seriously though, do be prepared for fall outs, make sure you have enough space if they need to be separated.
I ended up with 10 boars, only 2 of which were paired in the end.
 
With view to the ages of your others, why not consider an older bonded pair from a rescue? Then vet bills etc won't (hopefully) all occur at once & if they have a solid bond already there may nor be any future fall outs between them :)

http://www.milhaven-rescue.com/guinea-pigs-for-adoption/

Esteban & Miguel look gorgeous, Jo has lovely piggies there & they are still waiting for a lovely home, I suspect because they are older boys.
 
you can never have enough boars!
seriously though, do be prepared for fall outs, make sure you have enough space if they need to be separated.
I ended up with 10 boars, only 2 of which were paired in the end.

Wow, that is a lot of different boar houses to accommodate. So you had to have 9 hutches/ houses? That does give me pause for thought...

Did you have problems with having several boars at once eg in terms of health problems with aging boars?
 
I currently have 6 boars. Two pairs and Two singles. The two singles did used to live in a pair but they became aggressive and now live alone. The younger one I reckon will be able to be paired again, but as for my 16 months old..hmmmm
 
With view to the ages of your others, why not consider an older bonded pair from a rescue? Then vet bills etc won't (hopefully) all occur at once & if they have a solid bond already there may nor be any future fall outs between them :)

http://www.milhaven-rescue.com/guinea-pigs-for-adoption/

Esteban & Miguel look gorgeous, Jo has lovely piggies there & they are still waiting for a lovely home, I suspect because they are older boys.

Thanks for the ideas. I did have a bit of email chat with Jo at Milhaven earlier this week and yes she has some lovely pairs of boars available - v tempting! I am very open to adopting older ones but I think Esteban & Miguel will only be rehomed to a home without young children and I have 2 of the blighters!

Lots to weigh up - I just don't want to be irresponsible and take on too much.
 
Thanks for the ideas. I did have a bit of email chat with Jo at Milhaven earlier this week and yes she has some lovely pairs of boars available - v tempting! I am very open to adopting older ones but I think Esteban & Miguel will only be rehomed to a home without young children and I have 2 of the blighters!

Lots to weigh up - I just don't want to be irresponsible and take on too much.

The boys that we have are lovely, some of the younger ones are typical teenagers but Esteban and Miguel are very much the best of friends and at 3 and 4 years old they are highly unlikely to suddenly decide they hate each other! :) I ask for a family without little ones as they are older and need a quiet retirement home but if they are not bothered by the children a lot and have a nice quiet part of the house, I would consider it.

The other pair I mentioned to you are gorgeous though and are getting along great. These guys have been around young children (with adult supervision of course!) and are absolutely fine.
 
Thank you for replying Joanne as you are extra busy at the mo! You know that I would be happy with any of them really:) and will certainly take your advice on suitability for a family environment ;)
Will tackle creating the space/ accommodation first and then see what might work out....
 
I think it is the destiny of some of us to love boars. I wouldn't be without my two pairs but I don't think I could manage anymore!

Good luck to you. Someone has to look after all these beautiful unwanted boys...
 
I think it is the destiny of some of us to love boars. I wouldn't be without my two pairs but I don't think I could manage anymore!

Good luck to you. Someone has to look after all these beautiful unwanted boys...

I totally agree with this! I have six boars (three pairs) and I love them to bits. Boars would always be my first choice - they're so squishy and full of personality! And there's always so many of them needing rehoming...poor boys :( I would have more if I was allowed :))

I would say if you have the space, time and everything else needed to take on another pair of boys, then go for it. And like I think has been said somewhere else on this thread, if you go for a well-bonded older rescue pair, hopefully you won't have to worry about much! :))
 
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